


The Good Kind of Fear

by respoftw



Series: Tumblr Prompts - Hawksilver edition [77]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, Kid Fic, M/M, also Clint isn't even in this but it's still Hawksilver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 04:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5403053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/respoftw/pseuds/respoftw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pietro hasn't known fear until he has to take the Barton kids to the Mall on the Saturday before Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Good Kind of Fear

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GrandMoffAmbrius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrandMoffAmbrius/gifts).



> Day 5 of my 12 days of Hawksilver challenge.

Pietro thought he knew what fear was.

Growing up on the streets; being a lab rat for HYDRA; risking his life every day with the Avengers; he had more reason than most to be on an intimate acquaintance with fear.

Of course, all of that pales into insignificance as he faces down his most terrifying challenge yet.

The mall. On the Saturday before Christmas. With the littler Bartons. On his own. Completely, 100% responsible for making sure that Lila and Cooper didn't run off, get lost, get kidnapped, get shot, get hit by a car, get their ears pierced, get a tattoo, eat too much sugar...

What the hell was Clint thinking? Pietro could face down an army of evil robots, throw himself in front of a slew of bullets but goddamnit, he wasn't ready for this.

Lila, at least, seemed oblivious to his inner panic as she gripped his right hand and dragged him through the harried crowds, yelling at him to hurry up as he frantically whipped his head around to make sure that Cooper was following close behind.

"C'mon, P! I wanna see Santa. I gotta ask him for something really really important! C'mon!" 

Assured that Cooper was right behind them, albeit bored and looking at his phone, Pietro let himself be pulled towards the ridiculously long line at the mall's Grotto, suddenly glad that he'd never had to deal with this growing up. 

He'd have thought that kids in line to see Santa would be on their best behaviour - there was plenty of time to be added to the naughty list before Christmas after all - but after twenty minutes of listening to tired whines and snapping parents, Pietro is left with new found gratitude for just how great Clint's kids are.

And they are great kids. He's not just saying that because he's a little bit in love with their Dad, although he sees the best of Clint in them both: Cooper's quiet focus, Lila's endearing goofiness, the both of them with two of the the kindest hearts that he's ever met. 

Cooper and Lila have fast become two of only four people in the entire world that Pietro would do anything for - and maybe it's that change in focus that's making him so afraid. His world had been a population of two for so long, him and Wanda against everyone, that letting others in, not just Clint who could, theoretically at least, take care of himself (although the number of times Pietro has had to speed to catch him from a free fall jump off a building belies that) terrifies him. Lila and Cooper are so young; way younger than he was at that age. Pietro wants them to be kids for as long as they can, wants them to stay innocent as long as they can. He wants to watch them stand in line for Santa and watch them open up Christmas presents and start high school and go to college and....the sheer scale of his want scares him.

After what seems an eternity, they're finally at the front of the line. He's so busy pulling out his phone and snapping a picture of how cute Lila looks sitting primly on Santa's lap (sending it to the team on snapchat with a dozen smiley face and heart emoticons that he's probably going to get crap for later) that he's not paying attention to what she's asking for, until he hears his name.

"-etro makes my Daddy happy, and he gives really good hugs and the best piggy back rides where he zoom zooms all around the garden and he lets me paint his nails, and even lets me pick the colour - Daddy only ever wants purple - and I love him very much and so for Christmas I would really really love it if he could become my Papa."

Lila kisses Santa on the cheek as he promises to do his best and hands her a generic "Girl aged 5-7" gift and she skips happily back to where Pietro and Cooper are standing like she hadn't just caused Pietro's heart to skip about a million beats.

Papa.

It's kind of a terrifying thought but....Pietro is learning that sometimes fear can be good.

Cooper quietly tugs on his sleeve as Lila prances ahead of them, humming a happy song to herself as she floats through the crowds. "I know that Santa isn't real and I know that nobody can make you and Dad do anything that you don't already want to do but...what Lila asked for? I just want you to know that I'd like that too."

Pietro's going to have swear Coop to secrecy later about the tears that are welling in his eyes right now, but for the first time today, as he runs his hand through hair that's a familiar shade of brown, he's not scared at all.


End file.
